Closure for collapsible tubes and other receptacles



Oct. 20, 1925.

H. E. ROBERTS CLOSURE FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES AND OTHER RECEPTACLES Filed Sept. 10. 1924 Inventor:

- Harold/12' Roberl 2? fltorngya;

Patented Oct. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD E. ROBERTS, OF OVERIBROOK, PENNSYLVANIA.

CLOSURE FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUB ES AND OTHER REGEIPTACLES.

Application filed September 19, 1924. Serial No. 736,859.

Closures for Collapsible Tubes and Other Receptacles, of which the fdllowing is a specificatiomreference being had to the accompanying drawing.

The present invention is particularly applicable to collapsible tubes such as are used to hold and dispense tooth paste, shaving cream and the like although it may be applied with equal facility to other forms of receptacles, a principal object of the invention being to provide a closure device for such tubes or receptacles which embodies novel features of construction and arrangement whereby the closure can be removed or cleared from the discharge orifice by a simple movement of the thumb or finger and as readily closed over the orifice thus eliminating the tedious and troublesome screwing and unscrewing of the usual cap.

A further object of the invention is to provide a closure device embodying means whereby the closing element may be readily and closely seated over the discharge orifice so as to entirely prevent discharge or leak age of the contents ofthe receptacle therefrom and in which the closure element may be removed from the orifice when desired to a position apart therefrom and in which it is entirely out of the Way of the contents being discharged through the orifice.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a closure device so constructed that the closing element is always maintained in attached relation to the other parts of the device so that it cannot be lost or mislaid, and to provide a closure device which can be both opened and closed by one hand,

thereby leaving the other hand of the opera-.

tor entirely free for any other purpose, for

example, for holding a toothbrush on which tooth paste is to be applied from the receptacle of which the closure forms a part.

Still further objects of the invention are to provide a closure of thecharacter aforesaid which readily lends itself to employ -w ment with collapsible tubes and other receptacles of which the closure forms a component or integral part or which may be arranged in association with a stopper or plug adapted for insertion inthe neck of a. bottle or the like; which is simple in form and construction, not liable to get out of order, may be operated as frequently to open and close the orifice as desired and may be manufactured at a relatively low cost.

Additionally, my invention includes other ob ects and various novel features of construction and arran ement to which reference may be hereina ter made or Which will be apparent from the accompanying drawing' in which I have illustrated certain embodlments of the invention.

Referring now more. particularly to the said drawing, in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive I have illustrated one form of my invention in association with a collapsible tube, Fig. 1 being a perspective view of the closure and a portion of the tube with the closing element or cap in position over the discharge orifice. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1 with the parts in a similar position; Fig. 3 is a similar side elevation but with certain of the parts shown in a difl'erent position and Fig. 4 is a top plan view of ig. 2. In Fig. 5 I have shown one of my improved closures in association with a cork or stopper adapted for insertion in the neck of a bottle or other receptacle as hereinafter more fully explained. Like numerals are used to designatethe same parts in the several figures.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive comprises a head 1 conveniently centrally disposed on the end 2 of a collapsible tube 3, the head preferably being formed integral with the tube in any suitable way although, if desired, the head may be formed separately from the tube and secured thereto by soldering or the like, and as the tube itself may be of the usual well known form further-description thereof is unnecessary. The head is provided with a substantially centrally disposed discharge passage 4 the lower end of which communicates with the interior of the tube through an opening in the end 2 from which oint the passage may extend axially upwar for about one-half the vertical height of the head and be thence directed angularly to terminate in a discharge orifice 4 at a suitable point on the surface of the head.

The latter is of somewhat peculiar conformation being preferably plane or substantially plane on its side faces 5, 5 which are arranged parallel to each other and disposed in vertical planes when the head a is held in upright position, while the surface of the head between its side faces is flat in the transverse direction, but when viewed in profile as in Figs. 2 and 3 presents a plurality of areas or surfaces extending} in different directions but merging one into the other and which, considering said figures, may be described as follows: Beginning at the base of the head at the left hand side when viewed as in these figures, a short vertically extending surface 6 may first be presented, at the upper extremity of which is an angularly outwardly directed overhanging surface 7 preferably bulged or slightly curved outwardly as best seen in Fig. 2. At the upper extremity of this surface the head may be slightly rounded upwardly as at 7 to merge into a flat surface 8 surrounding the orifice 4' and extending upwardly and inwardly toward the axis of the head for a suitable distance, this surface being preferably disposed substantially at right angles to the overhanging surface 7 At its upper extremity the surface 8 merges into a rounded surface 9 extending downwardly and in a direction generally away from the surface 8 and which in turn merges into a generally vertically extending surface 10 at the lower end of which the head is curved outwardly and then inwardly to form a surface 11 which in effect forms a cam for a purpose to-be hereinafter described and which for convenience will be referred to as such. At the inner and lower end of the cam a short substantially vertically extending surface 12 may be provided to extend from the cam to the base of the head, this surface corresponding more or less to the surface .6 at the opposite side of the head.

For closin the orifice 4' so as to prevent the escape o the contents of the tube therethrough, a closing element is provided which may conveniently be in the formof a cap or button 14 having a fiat or substantially flat under surface of sufiicient diameter .to span the orifice and extend somewhat beyond the edges thereof when positioned thereover and preferably rounded on its outer surface, the cap being thus substantially in the form of a segment of a sphere, while for supporting the cap and cont-rollin its position a bail, conveniently formed 0 a wire, is provided, this bail being of generally U-shaped form and of sufficient width between its legs or arms 15 to seat more or less snugly over the body with the legs lying parallel to the sides 55 thereo as shown in Fig. 4, the free ends of the bail being respectively turned inwardly and terminating in suitable bores formed in the cap). At its opposite extremity and prefera ly centrally of its transverse portion 15 the bail is provided with an outwardly directed loop 15 forming a tab or projection adapted for convenient engagement by the finger of the operator.

Means are provided for holding the bail in assembled relation with the head and, additionally, for forming a fulcrum about which the bail may be moved, said means conveniently comprising a pair of pins \16 extending horizontally outward from each of the sides 5 of the head, the pins of each pair being respectively positioned above and below the adjacent leg of the bail and spaced sufiiciently far apart vertically to permit the bail to be freely moved between them.

It will be understood that thelength of the bail is so proportioned with respect to the head that when the cap is seated over the orifice 4 the transversely extending part 15 of the bail may be sprung downwardly, by suitable pressure on the tab 15". over the high point of the cam 11 so as to engage and be retained beneath the undercut portion of the cam thus holding the cap firmly in position over the orifice, the inherent resiliency of the wire of Whichthe bail is formed being ordinarily sufiicient for this purpose. In certain instances, however, it may be desirable to provide aresilient gasket 17 and secure the same on the surface 8 about the mouth of the orifice 4 and also to provide the under face of the cap with a disk 18 of similar resilient material; under such circumstances when the bail is forced over the high point of the cam 11 the disk and gasket, or either of them if but one be employed, are more or less compressed, thusassisting in permitting the passage of the bail over the high point of the cam. Fur thermore after the bail is engaged beneath the cam the gasket and disk continue to remain in somewhat compressed condition thereby ositively preventing any leakage between t e cap and surface 8.

When it is desired to dispense the .contents of the tube or other receptacle towvhich my improved closure is attached, it is only necessary to push upwardly with the finger or thumb on the tab 15", assuming the parts to be in the positionshown in Fig. 2, which results in moving the cap downwardly along the surface 8, the bail meanwhile fulcruming and sliding longitudinally to some extent between the pins 16, and thence over the curved portion 7 to finally seat against the surface 7, coaction of the transverse portion 15 of the bail with the-curved surface 9 acting to draw the cap snugly against'said surface and maintain the position of the parts shown in Fig. so long as may be desired. It will be observed that when in this position the cap is entirely free and clear of the surface 8 and orifice 4 thus preventing any of the contents of the tube or other receptacle from coming in contact with the cap or bail as the same passes from the orifice. It will of course be obvious that the cap may be as readily closed over the orifice when desired by moving the tab 15 i1: reverse direction so as to raise the cap ovei the rounded surface 7' and from tllBIlCl move it over the orifice against which it cal be firmly clamped by forcing the bail ovel the high point of the cam 11 in the manne; already described.

It will be noted by reason of the peculiar conformation of the surface of the head that the bail, when being moved from closed to open position, is capable of a suitable longitudinal movement sufficient .to permit the cap to ride over the curved surface 7', this movement taking place while the transverse portion of the bail is traveling upwardly from the high point of the cam 11 and over the surface 1.0, and further, that the relative disposition of the curved or auxiliary cam surface 9 and the undercut surface 7 is such that the cap may be secured against the latter by urging the bail upwardly over the auxiliary cam surface until it attains suitable frictional contact therewith. e

As hitherto stated, the use of my improved closure is in no way confined to collapsible tubes or containers of like nature although it conveniently lends itself to such employment. Thus, for example as shown in Fig. 5, the closure may be arranged in association with a stopper S having an internal passage S communicating with the passage 4 in the closure head, the stopper being adapted for insertion in a bottle or the like so that instead of having to remove and replace the stopper each time that it be desired to pour out some of the contents of thebottle, the stopper may be permanently inserted therein and the closure operated to open and close the orifice 4; whenever it be desired to withdraw a portion of the contents.

While I have herein illustrated and described certain embodiments of my invention with considerable particularity, I do not, thereby desire orintend to limit myself to any precise details of construction and arrangement of the various elements of the device nor to the employment of my improved closure in connection with receptacles of any particular form, the invention being capable of utilization in numerous other industrial applications than those to which I have referred and the form, construction and arrangement of the various parts being susceptible of modification in minor particulars from the embodiments shown and described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I

. claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. A closure for a receptacle, comprising a head having an internal passage extending from its base to its exterior surface and there terminating in a discharge orifice, a cap adapted to seat over said orifice, a bail operative to support the cap, means carried by the head adapted to guide the bail when moved with respect thereto, and means on the head operative to draw said bail longitudinally when the bail is forced thereover to thereby seat the cap snugly against the orifice.

2. A closure for a receptacle, comprising a head having a discharge passage extending therethrough and terminating in a discharge orifice on a surface of the head, a U-shaped bail substantially embracing the head, a cap supported at one end of the bail and adapted to seat over the orifice, and means carried by the head for maintaining the bail in assembled relation therewith and operative to form a fulcrum therefor, said head having a cam surface remote from the surface in which said discharge orifice is disposed and operative when the closed end of the bail is forced thereover to draw said bail longi tudinally and thereby seat the cap snugly over the orifice.

3. A closure for a receptacle,,comprising a head having a passage extending therethrough and terminating in a discharge orifice in a surface of said body angularly disposed with respect to its longitudinal axis, a bail embracing said head and having a transversely extending part, a cap carried by the bail. and adapted to seat over said orifice, means adapted to hold the bail in assembled relation with the head and to form a fulcrum therefor and separated cam surfaces on the head adapted for cooperation with the transversely extending portion of the bail, whereby when said bail is moved about said fulcrum and over one of said surfaces the cap is drawn snugly over said orifice and when the bail is moved over the other cam surface the cap is drawn against another surface of said head in angular disposition to the surface in which said discharge orifice is located.

4. A closure for a receptacle, comprising a head having a passage extending therethrough and terminating in a discharge orifice in a surface of the head, the sides of the head between which said surface is disposed extending in substantially parallel planes, a bail embracing the head and havmg legs extending adjacent said sides and a transverse portion extending arallel to said surface, a cap carried by sai bail at its end op osite said transverse portion and adapted to seat over said orifice, and means projecting from each of said sides above and below the adjacent leg of the bail operative to hold the bail in assembled relation with the head and to form fulcrums about which said bail may be moved, said head being provided with a cam surface adapted for cooperation with the transverse portion of the bail and of such contour that when the bail is moved thereover the ca is drawn against the surface in which said orifice is disposed.

5. A closure for a receptacle, comprising a head having a passage extending therethrough and terminating in a discharge orifice in a surface of the head, the sides of the head between which said surfac is disposed extending in substantially parallel planes, a bail embracing the head and having legs extending adjacent said sides and a transverse portion extending parallel to said surface, a cap carried by said bail at its end opposite said transverse portion and adapted to seat over said orifice, and means projecting from each of said sides above and below the adjacent leg of the bail operative to hold the bail in assembled relation with the head and to form fulcrums about which said bail may be moved, said head being provided with separated cam surfaces each adapted for coaction with the transverse portion of the bail and of such contour that when the bail is moved over one of said surfaces the cap is drawn snugly over said orifice and when moved over the other of said surfaces the cap is drawn against another surface of said head in angular disposition to the surface in which said orifice is dis osed.

6. closure for a receptacle, comprising a head having an internal passage terminating in a discharge opening in an end surface of the head, the sides of the head extending in transversely spaced parallel planes, a substantially U-shaped bail embracing the head and having legs respectively extending adjacent each of said sides and a transverse portion provided with a finger tab, a cap carried by the bail at its end opposite said transverse portion and adapted to seat over and close said orifice, a pair of spaced pins extending from each side of the head on opposite sides of the adjacent leg of the bail and forming guiding and fulcruming means therefor, and separated cam surfaces on the head adapted for coaction with the transverse portion of the bail and respectively of such contour that when the bail is moved over one of said surfaces the cap is drawn against and seated over said orifice and when moved over the other surface the cap is drawn against a surface of the head remote from that in which said orifice is disposed.

7. A closure for a receptacle, comprising a head having parallel spaced sides and an internal passage terminating in a discharge orifice in an end surface of the head between said sides, a wire bail embracing the head and having a leg disposed adjacent each side thereof and a transverse portion, a cap supported by the bail remote from the transverse portion and adapted to seat over the orifice, spaced projections extending from each side of the head on opposite sides of the adjacent leg of the bail and formin guiding and fulcruming means therefor, an spaced cam surfaces on the head cooperative with the transverse portion of the bail to draw the ca against different points on the head when t e bail is moved thereover.

8. A closure for areceptacle, comprising a head having parallel spaced sides and an internal passage terminating in a discharge orifice in an end surface of the body between said sides, a wire bail embracing the head and having a leg disposed adjacent each side thereof and a transverse portion, a cap supported by the bail remote from the transverse portion and adapted to seat over the orifice, spaced v rojections extending from each side of the iiead on opposite sides of the adjacent leg of the bail and forming guiding and fulcruming means therefor, spaced cam surfaces on the head cooperative with the transverse portion of the bail to draw the cap against different points on the head when the bail is moved thereover, and a resilient gasket adapted for interposition between the cap and the surface'in which the orifice is disposed.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day of Sgptember, 1924. c v I HAROLD ROBERTS. 

